Separable connecter



H. E. WALKER 1,985,963

SEPARABLE CONNECTER Filed Oct; 6, 1955 Patented Jan. 1 1 935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE e '1,985,@3 I measure cessneme Harry s. wane,Fairfield, Maine Application was 5-, 1933, Serial No. 692,420 a zjolainst 1 c1; Jase- 18) This invention relatestoconduits composed ofseparable members or sections, sue particu larl-y to conduits used withmotor f-veh-icles to supply parts of such vehicles with conditioningmeans such asoil, grease, etci, although-the invention may" be otherwiseused.

The connecter embodying'the present] inven-' tion is an improvement onthat-disclosed by my Patent No. 1,885,657; and includes afreely mov+able delivering conduitmember and a ni ple like receiving conduit memberadapted 1 to be fixed to a motor vehiclefelement requiring eonditioning.f

The chief object-eithe improved-ccnnecter I is to enable the deliveringmember to be operasuchtthat'the delivering membencannot venientlybeengaged" therewith when in one direction, the engagement" mayconveniently be eifected by 'moving the neuteringmember in a differentdirection. f ffother-objects will heri-nafter appear; Of "theaccompanying of this specification,

Figure 1 shows i-n perspective the delivering and receiving members of"my improved connecter separated from each other; Figure- 2 is alongitudinal section showing the delivering and receiving membersoperatively interengageda a Figures 3 and 4 are side viewsv showingithedelivering memberinterengaged in ,difierent positions with the receivingmember. hi

Figurefi is a. fragmentarvedge vievwlshowing a portion of the deliveringmember.

Figure 6 is a. section on line 6-6Loi Figuresfi, Figure 7' is asectioncholineflfhotv Figure-.2; Figure 8 is alongtiudinalsectionalvieve'of the receiving member. ,Y I

Figure 9, is a section on-ql-ine 9-,9 ohfiigure Figure 10 shows-in;perspective the leaf, spring and valve shownby Figures 2+and: 8'. Figure11 shows theleafspring; in; seotionnand provided with an integral valve;1

Figures 12, and 1-3 are views similar to Figure 8, showing-diiferentlyformed,snr.in 1 l Figure li shows in section thebody nortion, of thedelivering member, and. parts associated therewith... g i i The a same 1reference characters indicate the same parts in allof thefigures; M 1 415 denotes the; receivmaeconduit .member which is ,preferablwa nipple:havingan external wing formingapart screw thread 16 whereby it may befixed to a motor element, a longitudinal bore 17, and a flat sideface 18 in which is formed an orifice l9 whichbonstitutesthe inlet-of themember, and communicates with thebore thereof.

P'Th eon-neuter includes a delivering member which is adapted to becoupled to a flexiblesupply-pipeonhose 20, and includes'a body portion2l"havi =ng end extensions122' and 23 "provided with spaced apartopposed inner faces. The extension 22 is provided with an orifice 24constituting; the: outlet of the delivering member, said orifice beingpreferably formed in a flexible diaphragmGil -constituting a part of theinner fa'ceof said extensiomand functioning as presentiy described.

The opposed inner faces of the extensions 22 and 23 are formed tocooperate with external facesofi the receiving member 15 to guide thedelivering member in either of a plurality" of paths on the receivingmember and cause registration of the outlet-24,and the inlet 19 witheach other when the delivering member is guidedineither path.

Inthe embodiment here shown the extension 22isprovided with a flat innerface 27 (Figure 5) ,jand the; extension 23 is provided, as bestshown'jby Figure 6, with two] aligned reentrant or 'concave grooves, orguiding faces 28 and 29, said guidingfaces intersectingeach other at apointopposite the outlet 24, the face 28 extending atright angles to theface 29. The receiving member 15 is cut away'to, provide the fiatfecal-8* which interrupts the cylinder surface of thefrnember andextends to a stop shoulder 15%. When the members are interengaged inalignment-with each other, as shown by Figure 2, the fiat face 18 bearson'theflat face 27, the oylindri'cal surfac e'of the receiving memberbears on the guiding face 28, and the outlet 24 and inlet 19-registerwith each other, rotation of the delivering member on thereceiving member beingfprevented by-the flat faces 18 and 27.

When the members are interengaged at right angles-with each other,eitherasshown by Figure 3, ,o r by Figure 4, the flatiace 18 bears onthe flat, face 2'7, the cylindrical surface of the receiving memberbears on the guiding face 29; the outlet 24 and inlet 19 registeringwith each other.

i The arrangement is such that the delivering member may stand either ina positionin alignment with the receiving member, or in either ottwopositions at right angles therewith, when the membersare operativelyinterengaged, so

ing the outlet 24 of the delivering member in alignment with the inlet19 of the receiving member when said members areoperativelyinterengaged.v 7 It is obvious that the guiding faces 28 and 29 may be of other thanconcave -form,'the cooperating surface of the receiving member hav-. inga form complemental to that of said guiding faces. I I

I providemeans for forming a grease tight joint surrounding the outlet24 of the delivering member, and the inlet 19 of the receiving member,said means being preferably embodied in a flexible diaphragm 30, shownseparately b Figure 14. r

The delivering member is provided with clamping means formed to admitgrease to the diaphragm and secure the margin thereof in, position tocause the diaphragm to maintain a grease tight joint which surrounds theoutlet of the delivering member and the inlet of the receiving memberwhen said members are operatively interengaged, the diaphragm beingforced against the fiat surface 18 of the receiving mem-. her by thegrease pressure, aided if desired, by a spring 31. The means forsecuring the diaphragm and admitting grease thereto may be embodied asnext described.

In the delivering member extension 22 is formed an internally threadedopen mouthed cavity 32. The margin ofthe diaphragm bears on an annularseat 33 surrounding the cavity mouth. With the cavity 32 is engaged anexternally threaded recessed plug 34 formed at one end to clamp thediaphragm marginagainst the seat 33, and admit grease to the diaphragm,the plug having grease passages 35. The plug recess is preferably formedto receive a ,spring 31 which exerts pressure on the diaphragm,additional to that caused by the grease. H I The body portion 21 of thedelivering member may have any suitable means for conducting grease tothe passages 35 of the plug 34, and any suitable coupling means forengagement with the flexible supply conduit 20.

As shown by Figure 2, the body portion 21 has an enlarged boreportion36, a screw threaded gland 37 engaged with said bore portion, anda tubular coupling nipple 38 adapted to rotate in the gland, and havingat its inner end an annular shoulder 39 confined by the gland, and atits outer end a screw thread engaged with a fitting 40 in the conduit20. The coupling nipple and gland constitute a swivel connection betweenthe conduit 20 and body portion 21, permitting the body portion to beturned on the coupling nipple and engaged in different positions withthe receiving member 15 without twisting the flexible conduit member. I

The shoulder 39 has, a packing member 43 which is pressed by a spring 44against. the gland 37. A duct 45 extends between the chamber 36 and theplug passages 35.

It is preferable in many cases for lightness and compactness to reducethe cross sectional area of the delivering and receiving members to aminimum. It is also preferable to provide the receiving member 15 with avalve normally held by a spring, in position to close the inlet 19, thevalve yielding to the pressure of grease forced into the inlet. I

The; desired reduction of .the cross sectional area of the receivingmember is permitted by the employment of a leaf spring, instead of thehelical spring usually employed to yieldingly close a valve.

, Figures 2, 8,9 and 10 show a sheet metal leaf spring 42 formed toextend lengthwise of the bore 17 of the receiving member. One endportion of the spring is fixed in an end portion of the bore 17,preferably by confining its edges in slots 43,-,as is indicated byFigure 7. The oppositeend of the spring carries a valve which is causedby the tension of the spring to close the inlet 19. The valve designatedby 54, in Figuresv 8 and 9,- is formed separately and engaged with anorifice in the free end of the spring 42. The valve may be a boss 55integral with the leaf spring as shown by Figure 11. It will be seenthat the form of the leaf spring is such that it does not objectionablyobstruct the bore 17, grease being adapted to flow freely through thebore along the flatsides and thin edges of the spring. The spring shownby Figure 12 includes an end portion 46 having flat sides and a shankportion4'7 connectedby a neck portion 48 with the end portion 46, saidshank and neck portions being attenuated and wirelike so that they donot objectionably obstruct the bore. One end of the shank portion isbent to form a tongue 49 which may be secured by solder, or otherwise,in an orifice 50 in the receiving member. The valve may be a boss 55, ifdesired.

The spring shown by Figure 13 includes a bent end. portion 51 havingflatsides, and a shank portion 52 secured to thereceiving member byafastener 5 3. The valve may be a boss 55.

It will be seen that the leaf spring occupies such a small portion ofthe cross section of the bore 17 that the cross sectional area of thereceiving member 15 andthe width of the space between the extensions 22and 23. may be desirably reduced.

I claim:

1. A separable connector comprising a delivering conduit member havingtwo spaced apart end extensions, one providedwith a fiat face containingthe outlet of said member, and the other provided with two reentrantguiding'faces extending at right angles with each other and intersectingeach other at a point opposite said outlet, and a receiving conduitmember having a flat face complemental to the flat face of theoutlet-containing extension and containing the inlet of thereceivingconduit, and a salient face complemental to either of said reentrantguiding faces, said delivering conduit member projecting from one end ofthe delivering conduit member in alignment therewith when one of saidreentrant faces is engaged with the said salient face, and beingadapted, when its other reentrant face is engaged with the salient faceto project laterally from either side of the receiving: conduit memberso that the delivering member may stand in alignment with the receivingmember or may project laterally from either side thereof, and thereforeoccupy either of three operative positions relative to the receivingmember, stop means being provided for locating the said members with theoutlet of the delivering member coinciding with the inlet of thereceiving member when said members are operatively interengaged.

2. A separable connecter comprising a tubular delivering conduit memberhaving two spaced apart end extensions, one provided with a flat facecontaining the outlet of said member, and. the other provided with twoconcave grooves extending at right angles with each other andintersecting each other at a point opposite said outlet, said groovesconstituting reentrant guiding faces, and a cylindrical receivingconduit member cut away at one side to form a flat face complemental tothe flat face of the outletcontaining extension and containing the inletof the receiving conduit, and a salient face formed by a portion of theperiphery of the receiving member and complemental to either of saidreentrant guiding faces, said delivering conduit member, when engagedwith one of said guiding faces, projecting from one end of the receivingconduit member in alignment therewith, and being adapted, when engagedwith the other guiding face, to project laterally from either side ofthe receiving conduit member, the arrangement being such that thedelivering member may stand in alignment with the receiving member, ormay project laterally from either side thereof, and therefore occupyeither of three operative positions relative to the receiving member,the extension having the outlet of the delivering member being providedwith three stop shoulders, and the receiving member with a single stopshoulder adapted to abut either of said three stop shoulders, theseveral shoulders constituting stop means for locating the outlet of thedelivering member in alignment. with the inlet of the receiving memberwhen said members are operatively interengaged in either of said threeoperative positions.

HARRY E. WALKER.

